July 23, 2012
Open as in door or open as in heart?
David Kernohan,
Followers of the Apocalypse, July 23, 2012.
I like this enough that it's worth linking back to, even though it has been a bit: "Some courses are open as in door. You can walk in, you can listen for free. Others are open as in heart. You become part of a community, you are accepted and nurtured."
System Configuration
Unattributed,
Philosophy Forums Newsletter, July 23, 2012.
I have searched in vain for an online copy of this, but would still like to alert people as to its existence (and maybe elicit a link from someone somewhere): "Michael Williams, in his chapter piece The Myth of the System, offers an even more sinister pledge: the web-of-belief is a fiction. The interconnectedness of beliefs—interconnection through the mechanism of logical thinking—is not in itself a critical structure. Beliefs come in 'modules'; a system whereby each epistemic unit is logically complete. Under his premise, we can imagine something like this: we could lose the information about our identity without compromising our scientific knowledge. Conversely, we could gain a module of scientific knowledge while keeping our identity intact." The article is from William's 2001 book Problems of Knowledge, which I don't have and won't find anywhere in Moncton.
Good bye #opco12 and welcome #opco13
Sylvia Mössinger,
Sylvia's Blog, July 23, 2012.
Jochen Robes wrote to me by email, "Here comes an another example of an c-MOOC. We just finished our opco12 (Open Course 2012, http://opco12.de/) with 1451 participants, and although course site and discussions are mainly in German, we got this wonderful movie from Sylvia Mössinger, which provides an excellent overview of this MOOC - in English." My understanding of German is of course minimal, so I couldn't enjoy the MOOC itself, but it's nice to have an overview.
No such thing as a free MOOC
Jeff Haywood,
JISC, July 21, 2012.
Jeff Haywood from the University of Edinburgh explains some of the thinking being their decision to join the Coursera MOOC juggernaut. "it isn’t cheap for the typical university course to ‘go MOOC’. On the other hand, no knowledge is free and as we wish to explore this space, we feel the return will be worthwhile to us, and to those who take our MOOCs." Paul Left picks up this thread, questioning the sustainability models for MOOCs. "Because they are unlikely to incorporate a high level of learner support and rigorous assessment, they will not be appropriate for all students in all contexts. They may used to provide a ‘taster’ as a marketing exercise, but this involves applying a business model which may not be appropriate."
Twenty six African Universities agree with AVU to collaboratively deliver distance and eLearning programs in Africa
Godwin Bonge-Muhwezi,
African Brains, July 21, 2012.
The website African Brains relays this press release from African Virtual University announcing a plan to collaboratively offer distance and online learning. "The project includes: Establishment and upgrading of Open Distance and eLearning Centers among participating Partner Institutions; gender mainstreaming through awarding scholarships to female students; research and development. It also includes technical assistance to countries and universities, enhancing the use of open educational resources; implementation of the teacher education, computer science and peace and conflict resolution programs as well as AVU Capacity Enhancement Program."
[Link] [Comment][Tags: Project Based Learning, Research, Online Learning, Africa]
Ed Radio Show Notes, July 23, 2012
Enjoying some streaming open source radio courtesy of Jamendo's live stream - found here!
Also: Pamela Slim, Do You Believe It?
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